Nothing beats that intuitive sense that says, “I know exactly where I’m going.” Unfortunately, we are simply not programmable, as robots are. We can’t just download addresses into our brains to store them forever, so we rely on maps. Over the years, cartography has become much more than just street maps and road atlas functions. Today we use online maps to advise us on local businesses, news, weather, traffic and more.
Google Maps has become the template of choice for various local food maps. On Menurequest, you can plot restaurants on a map of your city, as well as read/write reviews, make reservations, and get directions. In Philadelphia, Communitywalk is an amazing resource for local event planners who want to solicit the participation of several nearby restaurants.
At Toeat, you’ll find a number of dining options in your neighborhood. In major cities like New York, Paris, Bangkok, and Chicago, you’ll find baked goods at Yummybaguette. Or you may need to get your burrito fix at Burritophile. Drinkers might appreciate Wineandtimes, which helps plan a winery tour, as well as Drinktown, which lets you learn about all the local spirits specials.
Google Maps isn’t the only “mashup creator” on the block, of course. Various non-Google applications have appeared to fulfill a wide variety of functions. For example, if you live on a fault line, visit Lerdorf, as you can appreciate the “Real Time Earthquake Map”. If you’re looking for nearby bloggers, movie showtimes, gas prices, or driving directions, you can check out “Atlas” (based on MSN’s Virtual Earth platform) at Atlas Freshlogicstudios.
One of the most popular mapping sites is Flickr, where amateur photographers can share their images and create maps of their favorite places, people, and things. Readers have raved about Gutenkarte, where literary lovers can read entire books chapter by chapter (such as Jules Verne’s “Around the World in 80 Days”) while viewing a map of the places covered in the book. If you prefer news to fiction, don’t miss local and world news on Mappedup or Poly9 Viavirtualearth (where MSNBC news is plotted on a map!)
You can find directions on your computer, on your GPS device, or even on your cell phone. The trend is that developers are finding ways to bring online maps to you, no matter where you are. For example, if you find yourself lost somewhere with little time to recover, fear not: Loki can track your location via satellite and send you a map to your next location on your mobile phone. Various phones, from the iPhone to the Android G1, are putting MapQuest, Google Maps and Yahoo Maps technology at your fingertips when you’re on the go.